


, is where the heart is

by AStrangeDaze (TerraRising)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Animal Shelters, Animal Transformation, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Self-Doubt, Shifters, Wolf in the House inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 12:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17560469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraRising/pseuds/AStrangeDaze
Summary: Please help me.Looking around frantically, Wonwoo sees no human around him that could have spoken. The dog paws at his chest again, whining low in his throat.Please help me.It was most likely, Wonwoo decided, staring into the friendly face of the border collie currently half resting on his chest, that he was going insaneInspired by Park Jiyeon's "Wolf in the House"





	, is where the heart is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucitae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucitae/gifts).



> For the lovely kuro: well this is. late? early? I don't know anymore. Sorry my characterization is spotty and my writing is questionable, but ily and that's what counts, right?

 

“Wonwoo-ah!”

 

Wonwoo pauses mid-step, craning around the doorway to look at Joshua, “Yes hyung?”

 

“Sorry, I know you usually help us with the cats but Mingyu is sick and Jun can’t make it in today,” the coordinator looks apologetic, “could you help us out with the puppies instead? We’re short-staffed.”

 

“Ah….” Wonwoo sighed, on the verge of declining but hesitating at Joshua’s pleading expression; it was unfair how easily Joshua could contort his face into such a vulnerable looking thing when he was anything but, but it was also _Joshua_ and not helping him out was practically a sin, “….just for today?”

 

“Yes! Thank you so much, Wonwoo, you have no idea, I’ve been trying to call for back up all morning but no one can come in. The pups are due for a bath and we have a few new strays that are a bit older who also need washing. You know where to go?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll just….go let Jihoon hyung know where I’m going to be first.”

 

Jihoon barely looked up from where he’s trying to wrestle two kittens into a carrier, cooing at them softly under his breath, just nodding his understanding that Wonwoo won’t be helping him today. With that done, Wonwoo makes his way to the kennel, resigning himself to a day of trying to clean overactive puppies without ending up giving himself a bath too. At least, he muses to himself, the shelter always provided them with a spare t-shirt and shorts to change into for the affair, so his own clothes would be spared. 

 

Two steps inside the kennel and Wonwoo finds his ankles being nipped at by over-eager puppies. The littlest ones are yipping excitedly, sniffing at his shoes and pawing at his calves; Wonwoo can’t help but smile. As much as he prefers cats and their penchance for lazing around in the sun, draped across his lap while Wonwoo curls up with a book, there’s just something about the sheer delight dogs seem to have when meeting someone new that never fails to put a smile on his face

 

“Woah there!”

 

A particularly persistent dog fights through the crowd and almost knocks him over as he jumps up, pawing at Wonwoo’s thighs. He’s much too big to be a puppy and rather well-groomed for a new stray, with startlingly expressive eyes and a lolling tongue. “Hey buddy,” he bends down, threading his fingers into the soft fur of the border collie, hoping to calm him down.

 

 _Please help me_ , Wonwoo flinches at the voice in his head, backpeddling almost frantically.

 

“Wha-,“ he looked around frantically, trying to locate the source, “Who-”

 

 _It’s me! I’m right here! My name is Seungcheol,_ the dog jumps up again and puts his paws on Wonwoo’s chest, _I’m not a stray, please help._

 

“A-a shifter?” Wonwoo asks, eyes wide, mind racing a mile a minute - shifters were rare, a mere fraction of the population, most people went through their entire life without ever meeting one and those who were shifters usually didn’t reveal themselves easily.

 

It was much more likely, Wonwoo decided, staring into the friendly face of the border collie currently half resting on his chest, that he was going insane, sleep deprived brain concocting something absolutely ludicrous, after having stayed up much too late last night editing his latest blog post.

 

_Yes! Please, there’s been a mistake._

 

Oh god, there was that voice still. Wonwoo blinked and rubbed at his eyes, but the figure in front of him never changed, still the same panting border collie with a lolling tongue. “I,” he starts hesitantly, looking around to make sure no one was going to walk in and see him speaking to the dog, “You’re not a dog.”

 

The border collie shakes his head as if on cue and Wonwoo gulps. _Please, can you help me?_

 

“O-okay? I just need to get you out of here, right?” What is supposed to be an affirmation has never sounded so much like a question but the dog seems delighted by his acquiesce.

 

Somehow, Wonwoo leads the border collie (Seungcheol, the _dog_ reminds him - no, not a dog, a shifter) to wait at the side while he gets all the actual dogs washed and cleaned up. He debates about whether to wash Seungcheol or not before deciding that it was altogether much too awkward to be washing the shifter and slips out of the room. Ten minutes of dithering in the hallway later, he bites the bullet and sidles up to the reception desk where Joshua was bent over a stack of paperwork the size of which Wonwoo wouldn’t wish on anyone.

 

“Hyung?”

 

“Hmm?” Joshua looks up and smiles at him, “Hey Wonwoo, are you done with the puppies?”

 

The logical thing to do would be to just tell Joshua that one of the dogs brought in by animal services is actually a shifter and that they needed to let him go, please. But then he opens his mouth and what comes out is, “The border collie that was just brought in, can I take him home?”

 

Joshua stops and blinks up at him, “Uh, the collie? He just came in so I don’t think we’ve even finished processing him yet.”

 

“Can I take him home?” Wonwoo’s shifts from side to side though he keeps his face impassive, adding just a hint of pleading to his eyes.

 

“Well…” Joshua looks at him strangely, “I suppose you can since he’s not spoken for, though I thought you wanted a cat?”

 

“Yes but I just, we had a connection,” Wonwoo pleads, wincing a little at how uncharacteristic it was but trying to play on Joshua’s ‘find pets a forever home’ sentiments.

 

Sure enough, the older man laughs into the fist he made with his sweater, eyes crinkling up charmingly, “Well, I never thought I’d see the day that the great cat lover Jeon Wonwoo would ask to adopt a dog instead. Alright, I’ll put through the paperwork for you, come sign it when you’re done your shift and we’ll get that pup caught up on all his shots.”

 

“Uh,” Wonwoo tries to come up with an excuse without making it awkward, not sure how the shifter would react to being stuck with needles, “Hyung, can we skip the shots for now? I, um, I have a friend who’s a vetinary student right now, he’d asked me before to refer him to anyone who needs check-ups so he can fulfill part of his practicum. If it’s okay, I’d rather have him look over the collie?”

 

Joshua pauses from what he’s typing into the computer and nods, “Alright, that’s not a problem. I’ll print off the forms for you so you can take them to your friend, just make sure you keep a copy and file the other one with whichever clinic he’s practising at, okay?”

 

“Will do, thanks hyung!”

 

“Not a problem,” Joshua smiles, “Now get back to work before the manager comes down!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“So….this is my place,” Wonwoo gestures at the spacious but simple apartment awkwardly, watching as the collie darted inside and started to sniff and inspect everything, “You want to turn back now? The washroom is right there and I can grab you spare clothes or something.”

 

The collie turns to regard him for a moment before going back to his quest of discovering every corner of Wonwoo’s apartment. “Hey!” Wonwoo calls out with a frown when the shifts paws at his bookshelves, “Hands off until you’ve got hands again!”

 

The collie whines, turning large luminescent puppy eyes towards him, trotting over to nudge a cold nose into his palm mournfully but Wonwoo holds firm. “Don’t bother trying that with me,” he warns, “I volunteer at a shelter, I’m practically desensitized. Now please change back.”

 

The shifter doesn’t respond, taking his time sniffing Wonwoo’s pants as if they were the most interesting thing in the world and he can’t help but roll his eyes, pushing the collie away. “Seungcheol-ssi,” Wonwoo calls the other’s name hoping to get his attention and it works for a few seconds, “I think this favour has gone far enough, please respect my space and change back.”

 

Seungcheol whines, a high-pitched distressed sound as he plops down and curls around Wonwoow’s feet, one paw over his eyes.

 

“Seongcheol-ssi.”

 

 _I can’t,_ the response revebrates inside Wonwoo’s skull and no matter how many times this has happened, Wonwoo doesn’t think he’ll get used to the sensation.

 

“I’m sorry?”

 

 _I said I can’t, that’s how I got in trouble in the first place. I’m stuck, I can’t control it anymore._ The voice sounds sheepish now and Wonwoo stares at the shifter on the floor incredulously.

 

“You’re…stuck,” he echoes in disbelief.

 

 _Yes, I can turn back for a bit when the sun sets, but during the day I’m stuck like this,_ Seongcheol explains, _please don’t kick me out!_

 

“I’m not going to-” Wonwoo cuts off his own protest about whether he looks that cruel, recalling all the times people told him his face looked cold, “You can stay for now I guess.”

 

 _Thank you!_ the collie perks up immediately, tail wagging at mach speed from happiness, running circles around Wonwoo and clearly holding himself back from pouncing just by the barest thread, _I promise I’ll get out of your hair soon._

 

“Uhuh. So how long have you been stuck like this?”

 

 _Three months now_ , the shifter sighs and the action looks so _odd_ coming from a dog that Wonwoo can’t help but stare, _I’m actually in this area looking for someone that can help me fix this._

 

Wonwoo nods slowly, walking over to get himself a glass of water while trying to make sense of what on earth he was doing, not only letting a complete stranger into his house like this but allowing them to stay. He glances around his flat; it’s well-furnished, his job pays well and to be honest it’s a bit too big for one person. That was how he ended up volunteering on weekends at the animal shelter anyways; Jun had finally gotten fed up with him complaining about being lonely when his friends were out of town (which was more often than not, what with the nature of their jobs) and dragged him there.

 

Jun had insisted that the shelter he volunteers at had cute kittens that he could adopt, a pet to keep him company, and Wonwoo had agreed to go visit if only to have stop him from nagging on about it every time they met up. He walked in expecting to check out a few strays and the next thing he knows, he ends up getting suckered into volunteering instead under the undeniable force of one Hong Joshua’s pleading stare. And it was nice, he was friendly with the other volunteers and staff now, and they would hang out once in a while, so for a while things were okay even if they worked out in an unexpected fashion.

 

Looking around now and watching the curious shifter explore every nook and cranny, he’s reminded again of how _empty_ his life feels sometimes. It’s strange, the sensation just sneaks up on him at the most inopportune times, triggered by the most inane instances. An excitable pup rushing around his apartment ought to make him feel warmer inside, but instead all Wonwoo can think of again is how the space around him echoes, the way the walls feel hollow. Maybe he should take up more contracts that let him travel, get away from these four well-furnished walls.

 

The moment is broken by the sharp sound of something shattering and Wonwoo whips around to see a sheepish looking collie huddled in a corner, facing a wall and away from a vase resting on the ground in several pieces as it that would absolve him of responsibility. It is so very much the picture of those ‘guilty puppy’ memes Wonwoo has seen online, even though the mess was made at the hands of a man and not actually a dog, that he can’t help but laugh.

 

Seungcheol whips around at the sound, one eye peeking out from behind a paw and Wonwoo just laughs harder at the image that the other makes. Seungcheol pads over carefully before he nudges at Wonwoo’s leg. _You are not mad?_ he asks carefully.

 

“N-no,” Wonwoo chokes out around dying giggles, glancing at the remains of the vase, “Are you…okay? You didn’t cut yourself did you?”

 

_No, I’m fine! Are you sure you’re not mad, I’m really sorry, I just wanted a closer look at the figurine beside it, I didn’t mean to break it. I’ll replace it for you!_

 

“It’s fine,” Wonwoo waves him away, “I, ah, it was an ugly vase anyways, don’t worry about it. Just, do me a favour and hop up on the couch, and stay there while I clean the shards?”

 

 _I can do that,_ Seungcheol take a running leap and then circles around until he finds a cushion he likes well enough to settle on top of, curling in on himself, _I’ll stay here. No more breaking things, promise._

 

“Right,” Wonwoo sighs and then heads to the closet he keeps his cleaning supplies, “Let me just grab the vacuum…..”

 

Seungcheol stays put and silent up as Wonwoo sweeps up the larger shards and it isn’t until Wonwoo starts up the roomba that he hears a peep out of the shifter. The bark that comes out of Seungcheol seems to startle the shifter just as much as it does Wonwoo and he turns to see Seungcheol awkwardly scampering back up onto the couch, a sheepish doggy grin pasted on his face as he visibly holds himself back from chasing after the roomba.

 

_Sorry, habit, or um, instinct? I’ve been stuck like this a bit too long……it gets hard to control myself._

 

Wonwoo snorts, imagining Seungcheol shifting into a border collie and chasing after cars and vacuum cleaners in his spare time. It’s a ridiculous image but one that refuses to leave his brain once he first allows it to take root and he turns around to hide a smile, hefting up the dustpan with the shards of coloured glass. “I’m going to throw this out and then make dinner, you can eat human food right?”

 

 _Yes, absolutely yes!_ The border collie leaps up from the couch in excitement, panting openly. _Oh god, you have no idea how hard it is when everyone keeps trying to feed you dog food._

 

“I would rather never have an idea, thanks,” Wonwoo mumbles to himself, disposing of the glass quickly, wrapping it in some old newspaper so he doesn’t accidentally cut himself while taking out the garbage at a later date.

 

There’s a clatter behind him and a soft, ‘oh!”, and Wonwoo turns instinctively, freezing as he takes in the very naked man standing in the middle of his living room where a border collie used to be. The man looks around Wonwoo’s age, lightly muscled and just a bit shorter, staring back at him with wide, limpid eyes half obscured by a wild mop of half-tangled black hair. The muscles on the man’s arms ripples, biceps and triceps on display as he reaches up to scratch at the back of his head with a disarming smile, left hand snaking out to snag a couch cushion with which to perserve his modesty as if he hadn’t just inadvertantly flashed Wonwoo with a lot more than he needed to see.

 

“Hi.”

 

Wonwoo’s hand goes slack and the dustpan tumbles out of his hand. “Hi,” he responds weakly, licking dry lips - it was one things to _know_ the other was a shifter, and another thing entirely to be suddenly confronted with a naked stranger in your living room, “……I’m gonna go and uh, get you some clothes.”

 

He turns and rushes to his room, cursing the night sky as he passes by the living room window; if Seungcheol was going to shift back immediately upon nightfall like some kind of out of control werewolf, some warning would have been night, Moon! Wonwoo pulled out a spare set of loose gym clothes and then sighs heavily, glancing at the doorway where Seungcheol hovered a bit uncertainly. “Come in and change,” he passes the clothes to the man, gesturing for him to come further into the room, pulling out a towel as well on second thought, “You can take a shower first if you want, washroom’s through that door. Take your time.”

 

“Thank you,” Seungcheol beams at him, bitten-red lips stretching into another smile, “I appreciate it, man.”

 

“No problem,” Wonwoo replies, as if his mind isn’t screaming at him and calling him seven types of idiot for not immediately looking for a way to get the other to leave rather than committing any further, “I’ll just be in the kitchen.”

 

Suddenly the normally too large space seems too small, the room he bemoaned as being too big for one person feel too cramped with two people. Wonwoo slips out quickly and shuts the door beside him, taking a deep breath, refusing to look in that direction again as he slumps against the wall.

 

Right, dinner. He can question his sanity again later; today seemed to encompass a great deal of that.

 


End file.
